Discussion: Who Should Be The Creative Director of Chanel?

[vogue22]

Ah, but how much will runway stylist of Chanel get paid?
How much will the emo campaign photographer of Chanel get paid?
How much will the twinkfinder general of Chanel get paid???

(I'm joking. Sadly "no one's gonna be CD, at least not in the way we're accustomed to" sounds boring enough to be believable.)

"twinkfinder" lmfaoo

 

[Norden]

I find it so tacky to hear leena nair and Bruno talk. They’re destroying the magic of the house with their banal opinions and strategy.
The strategy of having multiple CD is a risk avoiding one, it’s smart but also easier to manage. For me the allure of Chanel is having a creative opinion on dressing with all the notes of Chanel. The current strategy will yield safe results.

 

[PDFSD]

Chanel, like Hermès, is relatively immune to sales downturns—that’s not the real issue here. People will always buy Chanel, and for reasons we all know.

Plus, sales figures under Virginie Viard don’t necessarily indicate her success. With a brand like Chanel, the role of the creative director is not only to keep sales up but to ensure that Chanel remains at the center of fashion and prestige. Brand perception, especially at this level, is essential—it’s more than just sales; it’s about cultivating prestige, relevance, and desirability. Which I believe she failed.

For Chanel to maintain its elite status, it needs constant renewal and relevance. The real question Chanel should consider is this: which creative director can revive that aura, bringing the brand back to everyone’s lips and ensuring it captures the attention, admiration, and even envy?

Because KL managed to make Chanel not only relevant but a cultural phenomenon, generating discussions far beyond the fashion industry. He elevated the brand to a cultural force, and I think Hermès is the only one on the same level. He didn’t just create collections; he crafted spectacles that captured global attention, making Chanel aspirational and influential on a level that extended well beyond fashion.

And yes I think the position at Chanel is anything but ordinary. With numerous collections (does Chanel realise the most collection among them all ? Not sure) to oversee and a network of businesses like Lesage relying on Chanel’s success, etc, I only think for one person is way too much - given the limited options of talented people we have currently.

In this sense, that's why I said Chanel is dying. In fashion and luxury, brand perception is everything, and it should never be underestimated.

Brand perception, especially at this level, is essential—it’s more than just sales; it’s about cultivating prestige, relevance, and desirability. Which I believe she failed.
if she failed on those 3 notes (prestige, relevance, and desirability) sales would have reflected that, as its linked no matter how much we disliked her for not being as bold as KL. clients still shopped and shopped more.

Chanel to maintain its elite status,it needs constant renewal and relevance.
yes and no just like Hermes much of the price and economic resilience comes from having core products that stand the test of time and also are in the top tier of average price /high resale value its same in watches , that it pays off to not be too trendy but keep control of traditional craft knowhow and house codes.

renewal ....is every 2 months there's some type of season/capsule drop this is enough already, renewal is updating ambassadors like for Chanel nr 5 at the right time to be just updated enough but also not to much in the future/ahead of its time so that the average chanel consumers don't get it.

its a fine line , we have to be honest and remember how much hate Karl used to get for making Chanel cheap and commercial it was common remarks, Chanel always since KL played well into logo and tacky versus perceived elevation idea of what it means to be chic & french.

let's be honest lots of Chanel things post her death are far from demure and chic KL and VV designs are logo commercial rtw & acc.

even KL did not oversee all collections and every details this is not new nor unique to him or Chanel.

you have different teams that take care of departments and work in or following your lead (wont go into it its too long but it's also at Chanel at some degree as well for capsules are not done by KL directly )

KL even used to say he did shows and the adv´s what they do with it after its up to the Chanel teams he is just a hired illustrator he joked often .

often the idea of chanel is more bigger /special /complexified than what it is..... the house has mysteries which makes space for people to make it even more an enigma...even Leena the ceo plays into it by saying we are privat and we don't talk much and we are chanel we dont compare as its not luxury.

i feel on a forum like this it should be also an exercise to be critical of the things we speak so highly of or like/love not only when we dislike things.

i understand people feel that brands are like a human and a person with a soul and integrity and its part of making a brand, especially if its continuing after the founder is no longer there.

but we have to look at the facts of what the brand is and actually does, much like its founder its not a perfect story nor is it the guiding light.
its a captivating story of a woman that sold here sense of style and with it became part of culture , it gotta be so big for all the creative and business moves they compounded over the years by selling coco´s style and story.

its a brand its a company its business is selling the concept of allure and prestige, a myth of BCBG, the clients that have and can spend money know why they go to Chanel for is not so complex.

for me while there are no real parameters that indicate its dying yet or even started, i would await 2025 decisions taking shape.
brand perception i agee is important but the tranishing takes much longer time than what we here or other fashion & luxury insiders know of brands in and outs , the general public is far from this.

 

[TomBlanksFullFatMiuMiu]

Cringe meaningless stupid conversation about nothing

 

[Lola701]

Honestly, I doubt they pay 5M at Chanel. That’s nothing. You have footballers getting 150M what the actual f*ck

Hardly believable too.
I think it depends on the profile of the designer.
Karl was probably above 10M towards the end of his life but he had a particular position.

But I think for someone like Jacquemus, they are not breaking the bank. 5/6M is enough. The thing with those contracts is that you get the prestige and you add a bunch of clauses that makes your contract worth 10M.

That’s how things works. Transportation, living arrangements, clothing allowance. If you have a photographer talent, you win! You makes all the money.

Because essentially, behind the contract of the CD, there’s the team that comes with it.

That’s what was the issue when John Galliano joined Dior for example. There wasn’t any budget for Amanda Harlech and she was left out.

So yes, Chanel has to be frugal with some talents. The value on the market for some people is different. It’s simple as that.
Jacquemus, despite his personal success isn’t worth the same salary as Hedi Slimane or Nicolas at that stage of his career.

 

[velvetandsilk]

Leena Nair is a diversity hire and nothing else. How else do you go from working for Human Resources at Unilever (LOL) to Chanel? It makes no sense.

That's not true, they hired her to cut costs in some areas and turn Chanel into a corporation. First, they will probably move part of the Internet customer service to cheaper countries. Their website is not translated by real translators, they use ready-made software. They recently opened a website in my native language and there are grammatical errors characteristic of such programs. Then there will be a concealment of production in India, Italian law allows various scams and customers will think that production is still in Italy.
That's why they took someone from the corporation because such people are ruthless and for them local employees are just numbers in an excel. I don't know how much truth there is to it, but on the handbag forum there were comments that SA lost the bonus from selling handbags a few years ago.

 

[Creative]

Someone working at Chanel told me that the old guard (SA) was around 6K/7K per month, which for Paris is a lot, maybe not for the US. Now a new SA get less than 3K.

 

[tourbillions]

SA's shouldnt be getting so much anyway. You rarely find ones who really know what they're talking about, they shouldnt be earning a lot more than zara "SA's". So they would get off their high horse acting like they are above the customers/window shoppers.

 

[style_expert]

That's not true, they hired her to cut costs in some areas and turn Chanel into a corporation. First, they will probably move part of the Internet customer service to cheaper countries. Their website is not translated by real translators, they use ready-made software. They recently opened a website in my native language and there are grammatical errors characteristic of such programs. Then there will be a concealment of production in India, Italian law allows various scams and customers will think that production is still in Italy.
That's why they took someone from the corporation because such people are ruthless and for them local employees are just numbers in an excel. I don't know how much truth there is to it, but on the handbag forum there were comments that SA lost the bonus from selling handbags a few years ago.

I think you make a very valid point indeed. One of the major challenges for the luxury industry as it has grown enormously is the relative labor intensive element of its operations. Not only from the production side but in particular on the retail side, especially for a brand like Chanel which still relies so heavily on its physical stores . To effectively
manage HR and keep the costs down, and to remain an attractive employer at the same time, this is what Leena Nair apparently should excel at. You can absolutely not rely on the idea that people want to work for Chanel no matter what. The lack of adequate SA and other retail staff at Chanel is already very noticeable in some markets, both in quantity and quality.
I think this is the main reason why she was hired and I assume she will deliver on that front. All the comments ranging from her not understanding luxury and having no experience in luxury to 'Leena Nair is ruining the brand' can be true at the same time. But to reduce her to a diversity hire, I'm not so sure Chanel cares THAT much to hire someone just for the sake of diversity. In the end from Unilever HR to Chanel CEO, it's still a very much 'outside of the box' decision by the Wertheimers.

There was an interesting interview on the BOF podcast with Francesca Bellettini where she highlighting the difficulties surrounding HR, particularly in a market like China where according to her, it takes more time to find the right retail staff and educate them properly about the brand.

 

[Monsieur Cristobal]

That's not true, they hired her to cut costs in some areas and turn Chanel into a corporation. First, they will probably move part of the Internet customer service to cheaper countries. Their website is not translated by real translators, they use ready-made software. They recently opened a website in my native language and there are grammatical errors characteristic of such programs. Then there will be a concealment of production in India, Italian law allows various scams and customers will think that production is still in Italy.
That's why they took someone from the corporation because such people are ruthless and for them local employees are just numbers in an excel. I don't know how much truth there is to it, but on the handbag forum there were comments that SA lost the bonus from selling handbags a few years ago.

Someone working at Chanel told me that the old guard (SA) was around 6K/7K per month, which for Paris is a lot, maybe not for the US. Now a new SA get less than 3K.

The conditions in Paris are the best. You don't find them in other European countries.

This Old Guard at Chanel is legendary, they are at the top.

 

[Creative]

SA's shouldnt be getting so much anyway. You rarely find ones who really know what they're talking about, they shouldnt be earning a lot more than zara "SA's". So they would get off their high horse acting like they are above the customers/window shoppers.

Said nobody 😂

Some SAs in luxury can get even more than continent GM. Not to sound rude, but you literally have no clue how fashion brands works or should work.

 

[Creative]

The conditions in Paris are the best. You don't find them in other European countries.

This Old Guard at Chanel is legendary, they are at the top.

Of course you do, dear. In Germany or Switzerland, for instance.

 

[PDFSD]

There was an interesting interview on the BOF podcast with Francesca Bellettini where she highlighting the difficulties surrounding HR, particularly in a market like China where according to her, it takes more time to find the right retail staff and educate them properly about the brand.

just wanted to add onto this that for Francesca Bellettini difficulties surrounding HR recruitment in China also has to do that YSL brand story and actual products and image are not so holistic and that of Chanel and Hermes and dior even , meaning beyond product training there is not much storytelling to YSL happening linking product/brand story to the point of view of brand longevity , and lots of Chinese customers know more than ever the difference in legacy brands with more meaning than premium fast fashion luxury brands like how YSL is operating the house.

but of course addressing this publicly is showing weak points on her behalf as post Hedi they just continued as long as they could on his blue print without addressing heritage and quality/longevity to a more discerning client .

why do chanel and hermes get it right in China ? hermes has even more training todo, many products are more detailed in info and just color names alone is a speciality and prints and design everything has basically a reason or history and its consistent and cohesive.

they just lazy always.... China bring in soooooooo much revenue and everytime they don't sell its also China's lack of .... fault !!

they sell because its easy and when they don't sell its because they (China) don't have the brains/level of sophistication to understand.....

these Ceo´s need to update their blame game´s and actually address internal brand issues , China will start like in other fields also to create their own luxury brands, they are already leader in technology production and are gearing up to be the place for high quality production already happening.

Francesca Bellettini is also the reason for the weak governing of gucci since she took over as group CEO, i don't see any strategic novelty of ideas coming out from her brilliant reputation borrowed on hedis simple idea of restructuring a brands image.

 

[Monsieur Cristobal]

these Ceo´s need to update their blame game´s and actually address internal brand issues , China will start like in other fields also to create their own luxury brands, they are already leader in technology production and are gearing up to be the place for high quality production already happening.

Hermès already created a luxury Chinese house around ten years ago, Shang Xia.
The store was beautiful (not far from the Hermès Lutetia in Paris) and the products exquisite, created with traditional Chinese techniques and materials, like bamboo, silk...

I thought at the moment it was quite a visionary project, but somehow Chinese clientele seemed more receptive to old European heritage houses.
I haven't heard much about Shang Xia since then.

 

[LadyJunon]

Hermès already created a luxury Chinese house around ten years ago, Shang Xia.
The store was beautiful (not far from the Hermès Lutetia in Paris) and the products exquisite, created with traditional Chinese techniques and materials, like bamboo, silk...

I thought at the moment it was quite a visionary project, but somehow Chinese clientele seemed more receptive to old European heritage houses.
I haven't heard much about Shang Xia since then.

I think that it's because Shang Xia never really did the typical industry promotion tactic (shows, campaigns, red carpet), so they just sort of fell to the wayside. There are lots of other local Chinese brands are doing much better.

 

[GivenchyAddict]

^Maybe I read it wrong but Shang Xia did multiple shows as Yang Li is the CD / Patrick van Ommeslaeghe was consultant and even Joe McKenna styled some shows.

The brand is supposed to be a very luxurious lifestyle brand emphasizing on Chinese craftmanship : the fashion part did not click much with the targeted audience so it is more focused on the "arts de la table".

 

[MagFan]

What is this guest editing of US Vogue by Jacobs came from nowhere? Is she campaigning him? Would've been interesting to know her opinion on who should get Chanel, of course she has it

 

[nationalsalt]

What is this guest editing of US Vogue by Jacobs came from nowhere? Is she campaigning him? Would've been interesting to know her opinion on who should get Chanel, of course she has it

It does seem like quite a big promotion for him on her part. Plus this image - Anna + Marc + Chanel? Not exactly subtle...

 

[tourbillions]

Said nobody 😂

Some SAs in luxury can get even more than continent GM. Not to sound rude, but you literally have no clue how fashion brands works or should work.

and they shouldnt... they are clearly not the target demographic of the brands they are working for. But they act like they are.

 

[blueorchid]

The time for Marc to have been the creative director of Chanel would have been 5 years ago after Karl died? But now? Sure...